RFA’s Davis Reappointed to Commerce Advisory Committee

Cindy Zimmerman

Renewable Fuels Association Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Kelly Davis has been re-appointed to the U.S. Department of Commerce Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (REEEAC), which provides direction on issues related to the exportation of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services.

“I look forward to continuing the good work of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee with the Department of Commerce,” Davis said. “Continued export growth is essential to maintaining the U.S. leadership role in providing competitive, and sustainable products to our customers around the globe.” Davis noted that in recent years roughly 10 percent of the ethanol produced in the United States has been exported to countries around the world, often to help those nations achieve goals related to greenhouse gas reduction and air quality improvement.

Established in 2010, the REEEAC is composed of senior private sector representatives that provide advice to the Secretary of Commerce on the development and administration of programs and policies to expand the export competitiveness of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services.

The next meeting of the committee will be on Wednesday, May 26.

Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

EPA Asks Court to Vacate Last-Minute Refinery Waivers

Cindy Zimmerman

The Environmental Protection Agency has filed a motion asking the the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit to vacate and remand three last-minute small refinery exemptions granted to Sinclair by the previous administration.

The filing says the Trump administration’s EPA “…granted exemption extensions that EPA now believes are ‘outside the scope of the EPA’s statutory authority.’”

Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) President and CEO Geoff Cooper said they strongly support EPA’s action. “If allowed to stand, these improperly granted exemptions would have erased demand for another 260 million gallons of low-carbon renewable fuels, undermining the rural communities that depend on a strong RFS. We are greatly encouraged by EPA’s actions, which are consistent with President Biden’s commitment to stem the tide of unwarranted refinery exemptions and put the RFS back on track.”

EPA, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Happy Silver Anniversary to Al-Corn

Cindy Zimmerman

Al-Corn Clean Fuel in Claremont, MN, is celebrating 25 years of successful operations this week.

On April 29, 1996 the process of converting corn into ethanol began with the first corn being ground. Originally constructed as a 10 million gallon a year facility, Al-Corn has undergone a series of expansion and modernization projects and now produces 125 million gallons annually. Each year the company grinds over 42 million bushels of corn and can produce 269,000 tons of high protein livestock feed, as well as 44 million pounds of corn oil.

“While some may say we are a ‘first-generation’ ethanol plant, the reality is we are in the forefront of the ethanol industry due to our relentless focus on continuous improvement” said Al-Corn CEO Randall Doyal, who is also past chair of the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA). “Al-Corn continues to utilize innovative technologies and creativity in order to reduce energy consumption and production costs while at the same time increasing efficiencies and reducing emissions.”

Al-Corn joins Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company (CVEC) of Benson, Minnesota in celebrating 25 years this month. RFA President and CEO Geoff Cooper notes that both Al-Corn and CVEC were essential contributors to what became known industry-wide as the “Minnesota Model” – a grassroots effort focused on developing policies and public-private partnerships to facilitate growth and local ownership in the state’s ethanol industry. The state’s comprehensive approach to supporting ethanol became a model for other Midwestern states to adopt.

Ethanol, Ethanol News

Ethanol Groups Comment on USDA’s Climate Strategy

Cindy Zimmerman

The ethanol industry responded this week to USDA’s request for information regarding the role for “climate-smart agriculture” and biofuels in combating climate change.

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) offered a number of recommendations, including:

As directed by Congress, USDA should actively coordinate and consult with EPA on implementation of the Renewable Fuel Standard, especially with regard to the analyses and studies required as part of the process to establish RFS volumes in 2023 and beyond.
USDA should continue to look for opportunities to assist fuel retailers and marketers who wish to install infrastructure suitable for distributing higher biofuel blends.
The Department should redouble efforts to ensure its fleet of vehicles, which includes a large number of flex-fuel vehicles, is consistently fueled with low-carbon ethanol blends.
USDA should support technology- and feedstock-neutral policy approaches to reducing GHG emissions from the transportation sector.
In consultation with DOE and EPA, USDA should take a leadership role in ensuring the administration has current data, appropriate modeling tools, and an accurate understanding of the lifecycle carbon impacts of producing and using biofuels.

Comments from the American Coalition for Ethanol (ACE) encouraged USDA to help establish a protocol for biofuel producers and farmers to easily document the carbon intensity benefits of changes in agricultural practices and develop a commonsense framework to verify practices that sequester carbon in the soil.

The written comments highlight that today’s corn ethanol meets the definition of an advanced biofuel with its ability to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 50 percent compared to gasoline. “In other words, we do not need to wait for so-called next generation crops or biofuels, or electric vehicles (EVs) and an entirely new supply chain to support them, to immediately begin tackling climate change.”

Further, the gold standard tool for determining lifecycle GHG emissions of transportation fuels, the GREET model, will be updated soon to account for further adoption of climate-smart farming practices, which would credit corn ethanol for GHG emissions reductions between 60 and 70 percent compared to gasoline. In fact, ACE commented, ethanol is the only transportation fuel that can reach net-negative carbon intensity through carbon capture and sequestration and continued advancements within ethanol facilities and on-farm practices in how biofuel crops are grown.

ACE, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, USDA

Study Shows Health Benefits of Biodiesel

Cindy Zimmerman

A new study released this week by the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) shows switching to biodiesel results in significant health benefits such as decreased cancer risk, fewer premature deaths and reduced asthma attacks.

The study, conducted by Trinity Consultants, was sponsored by NBB with support from the Nebraska Soybean Board, South Dakota Soybean Research & Promotion Council, California Advanced Biofuels Alliance, Iowa Soybean Board and the Wisconsin Soybean Marketing Board. It used well established EPA air dispersion modeling tools coupled with health risk assessments and benefit valuations to assess the public health benefits and resulting economic savings of converting from petroleum-based diesel to 100% biodiesel, known as B100, in 13 sites and communities in the U.S. exposed to high rates of petroleum diesel pollution.

Researchers found that switching to 100% biodiesel for home heating oil and transportation would annually bring the 13 communities studied:

340 fewer premature deaths.
46,000 fewer lost workdays.
$3 billion in avoided health care costs.

In the transportation sector, benefits included a potential 45% reduction in cancer risk when heavy-duty trucks such as semis use B100 and 203,000 fewer or lessened asthma attacks.

When Bioheat® fuel made from 100% biodiesel is used in place of petroleum heating oil, the study found an 86% reduced cancer risk and 17,000 fewer lung problems.

National Biodiesel Board CEO Donnell Rehagen, NBB Director of State Governmental Affairs Floyd Vergara, and Matt Herman, Director of Environmental Science, presented the findings during a virtual press conference Thursday.

NBB presents biodiesel health benefit study findings (26:05)

NBB biodiesel study Q and A (20:26)

Audio, Biodiesel, NBB, renewable diesel

Ethanol’s Day in the Supreme Court – Podcast

Cindy Zimmerman

The Supreme Court heard oral arguments this week on the appeal of a case over the Small Refinery Exemption program under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The case was decided unanimously last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which held that only small refineries that have remained continuously exempt from obligations under the RFS are eligible for future extensions of the compliance exemption.

The Biofuels Coalition, comprised of the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, and the American Coalition for Ethanol, was joined by the U.S. Department of Justice, representing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. EPA announced in February that it supports the Tenth Circuit’s decision. The main argument before the court was the definition of the word “extension.”

In this edition of the “Ethanol Report” podcast, we hear from Renewable Fuels Association president and CEO Geoff Cooper, Biofuels Coalition counsel Matt Morrison and DOJ attorney Chris Michel.

Ethanol Report 4-28-21 (16:02)

The Ethanol Report is a podcast about the latest news and information in the ethanol industry that has been sponsored by the Renewable Fuels Association since 2008.

Choose an option to subscribe

Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Ethanol Report, Podcasting, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA

Agri-Pulse Doing Deep Dive into Biofuels

Cindy Zimmerman

Agri-Pulse is investigating how the biofuels industry has changed and where it’s headed in season two of the farm policy news outlet’s Deep Dive podcast series.

“The renewable fuels industry has a strong impact on farmers, rural communities and almost all consumers who fuel up with at least 10% ethanol in their gasoline tanks,” says Agri-Pulse Editor Sara Wyant. “As farmers across the country are planting corn and soybeans – much of which will be processed into renewable fuels – we thought it was timely and informative to look at how this industry has grown over the last few decades and the challenges it faces in the future, especially with the Biden administration’s push for electric vehicles.”

The first episode – “Running on E” – focuses on the history of biofuels and the policy surrounding the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). It includes interviews with many of the early and current leaders in the industry, including Sen. Byron Dorgan, Rep. Collin Peterson, Tom Buis, Joe Jobe, Bob Dinneen, Jon Doggett and more.

The podcast series is sponsored by the National Corn Growers Association and low carbon, corn-based ethanol.

Agri-Pulse, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News

MN Bio-Fuels Association Turns Ten

Cindy Zimmerman

The Minnesota Bio-Fuels Association is celebrating 10 years of representing Minnesota’s ethanol industry.

“We are very happy to reach an important milestone in celebrating our 10-Year anniversary as an organization in Minnesota. MN Bio-Fuels was formed to represent Minnesota’s ethanol and other renewable fuel producers. We have and will continue to represent the industry at the local, state and federal level,” said Brian Kletscher, board president of MN Bio-Fuels.

He said MN Bio-Fuels was formed in 2011 to represent Minnesota’s ethanol industry at the state legislature and to regulatory bodies, as well as increase ethanol consumption in the state through promotional and educational efforts.

“Over the last 10 years, we have evolved to meet the dynamic policy, regulatory, communications and fuel supply chain needs of the ethanol producers in Minnesota. We’ve built a true team of professionals to drive biofuel supportive policy initiatives at the Capitol in St. Paul and with the Minnesota congressional delegation in Washington, D.C.,” said Tim Rudnicki, executive director of MN Bio-Fuels.

Besides Highwater Ethanol, MN Bio-Fuels also represents Al-Corn Clean Fuel, Archer Daniel Midlands Company, Chippewa Valley Ethanol Company, Granite Falls Energy, Guardian Energy and Heartland Corn Products.

Biodiesel, biofuels, Ethanol, Ethanol News

Indiana Governor Vetoes Bill Targeting E15

Cindy Zimmerman

Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb this week vetoed legislation that would have a negative impact on sales of 15% ethanol fuel (E15) in the state.

“I am vetoing SEA303 due to its requirement of a duplicative label at every pump that distributes E15 blends of fuel in the state,” Gov. Holcomb wrote in his veto message to the Indiana State Senate. “The Environmental Protection Agency already mandates that all E15 pumps have a label clearly advising consumers of the possible implications of using the fuel in certain engines. I find this additional layer of government unnecessary and confusing.”

The governor said he does support a provision in the legislation that makes it clear E15 can be sold year round in the state and he encourages the General Assembly to “codify this definition next year, as it would support our ethanol industry and further grow the market for our Hoosier farmers.”

E15, Ethanol, Ethanol News

SCOTUS Hears Arguments in Biofuels Coalition Case

Cindy Zimmerman

The biofuels industry had its day in the Supreme Court April 27 to present oral arguments in the case of HollyFrontier Cheyenne Refining, LLC, et al. v. Renewable Fuels Association, et al over small refinery exemptions under the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). The case was decided unanimously last year by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, which held that only small refineries that have remained continuously exempt from obligations under the RFS are eligible for future extensions of the compliance exemption.

Matthew W. Morrison, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, represented The Biofuels Coalition, comprised of the Renewable Fuels Association, the National Corn Growers Association, National Farmers Union, and the American Coalition for Ethanol.

“There have been almost four billion gallons (of biofuel) over the last few years that have been lost to small refinery exemptions,” said Morrison. “That has had a devastating effect on the renewable fuels sector.”

Listen to Morrison’s arguments before the court here: SCOTUS arguments on behalf of Biofuels Coalition (19:31)

ACE, Audio, Ethanol, Ethanol News, Renewable Fuels Association, RFA